Club Endless Fantasy

“At least you didn’t do anything you weren’t comfortable with.” Ian nodded. “Okay, ready for my next question.”

“Absolutely.” I smiled. “This is fun.”

Ian and I traded several more questions back and forth. His were pretty thoughtful and grandiose. Mine were more personal, but they were things that I was curious about. We learned a lot about each other—one of which being that we both had Scotland on our bucket list of vacations. Ian’s family on his mother’s side was actually from Scotland, and he had a few relatives over there that he had never met. I confessed that I thought guys in kilts were pretty hot—and teased Ian about wearing one for me. He didn’t shut the idea down, which made me grin and think some pretty dirty thoughts.

“Okay.” Ian poured another glass of wine for both of us. “We only have a couple of questions each—you better make them count.”

“You first.” I motioned to him. “It’s your turn.”

“Alright, if you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?” He tilted his head inquisitively.

“Wow…” I blinked a couple of times. “I’ve never really thought about that.”

“Take your time.” Ian took a sip of his wine.

“I guess…” My eyebrows came together as I contemplated it. “Probably my grandmother. She died before I was born. My mom used to tell me that we had similar personalities. If that’s true, we would probably be good friends.”

“Sounds like a dangerous combination.” Ian chuckled and nodded.

“What about you? Who would you meet?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively.

“I always thought it would be interesting to meet Abraham Lincoln.” Ian leaned forward and put his wine down on the table. “Just to find out what he would have done if he had lived longer, and to see what he thinks about the world we live in now.”

“I did a book report on him once.” I sipped my wine and smiled. “He was a fascinating guy.”

“So if we get a time machine, then we’ll go hang out with your grandmother for a little bit, and then give Abraham Lincoln a tour of the city.” Ian laughed.

“I like that.” I nodded in agreement.

“Your turn.” Ian leaned back against the couch.

“You’re not going to be offended by anything I ask you, right?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Nah, I already told you that I’m an open book.” He shrugged.

“Okay, well…” I hesitated for a moment but decided to proceed. “You seem to be pretty amazing, but I’ve bet you’ve got some flaws in there somewhere.”

“Hmm.” Ian raised his eyebrows in contemplation.

“What are they? Do you hate puppies?” I smiled but tried to keep a serious expression on my face. “Do you snore?”

“You nailed it.” He smirked and nodded. “I kick every puppy I see and snore so loud that the walls shake. Still want to hang out with me?”

“I don’t know.” I gave him a side-eyed glance. “That could be a deal-breaker.”

“Seriously though, I’m far from perfect. I don’t think anyone is.” He shook his head back and forth. “I’d say my biggest flaw is the inability to let go of things—even when it’s a problem I can’t solve. I try, but they just get stuck in my head. Sometimes that can be an issue at work…”

“I guess it depends on what the problem is.” I nodded in understanding.

That does kind of explain Abigail—and why he won’t let me hate Christmas in peace.

“What about you? Do you kick puppies and snore too?” He reached for his wine.

“Nah, but you already know what my biggest flaw is.” I sighed. “Fear of the unknown and believing that every situation is going to end with the worst case scenario.”

“You’ve got a good reason for it, so I understand.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. “That was a pretty heavy question. I’m glad you asked it.”

“I’ll try to make my last one a little easier.” My lips twisted back into a smile.